


Heartstrings

by Queenoftheswamp



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 20:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7402735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenoftheswamp/pseuds/Queenoftheswamp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They drank. They fought. They kissed. It means nothing, they are young and foolish and like pissing each other off. But then, she won't let him pretend anymore, and it's going to take more than a question to get him to be honest with himself. It's going to take a handle of cheap vodka and a bloody scrap with a wolf demon. College AU inukag oneshot, rated for language and booze</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heartstrings

They met their freshman year of college. Day one, orientation. Bright gold met soft brown, and after several awkward first encounters during that month (most of which ended in a yelling match) their tension manifested into uneasy attraction. They couldn’t meet up anywhere without causing a scene, but after one too many weekend party run-ins, they had a system with carefully decided steps. Rules, you could call them. 

“Run-in” to each other. Loudly proclaim to hate each other. Then, escape upstairs for a heated make-out session in a broom closet. Bathroom. Bedroom. etc. Have another argument. Part ways, satisfied. 

She didn’t know what to make of it. She being Kagome Higurashi. She had been a virgin before college, an “innocent” as the boys at school had called her. Flirty, sure. Popular, happy, terribly soft and beautiful. A lethal combination of attributes to be sure. She broke a heart every Friday. But she had never even imagined herself to “hook up” with anyone. After she met Inuyasha, however, she had no qualms about the practice. Liked it, even. 

He thought he had it under control. He being Inuyasha Taisho. He had a bit more experience than her, although no much, if he was being honest. He was aloof, unfairly beautiful, with shaggy silver hair and a slim but muscular build. He attracted everyone, men and women both, but was too grumpy to have friends or commit himself to anything. Still, he had a soft spot for “the girl” (as he’d called her for the first couple weeks). Then, finally: Kagome. He liked the sound of her name, and the way her eyes shone brightly when she called him an ass. Although he would never admit it. 

After one too many hook ups, the jig was up. Everyone had sort of known the fighting was a kind of act for them anyway. Not that people were unbothered - both of them had suitors, both had jealous rivals begging to be noticed that clung to the notion that the pair was not an item. They had no label, had never even been on a proper date, so they were both fair game, technically. 

Hell, they had never hooked up at a place that wasn't a party. But they were following their own unspoken rules. They were having fun, and they each had something to look forward to as the weekend approached. Their rules kept them safe. 

They had never even acknowledged out loud what the hook-ups meant. 

“Bedroom?” Inuyasha mumbled against her lips, his hands guiding Kagome closer to the nearest room, out of the abandoned hallway they had found in the larger (unfamiliar) apartment building. Techno music moved through the floor, tickling their feet. 

“Closet,” Kagome suggested, frowning against his mouth, hands sneaking under his red sweatshirt. No lights. 

“Bedroom,” he insisted, and before she could continue to argue the door was locked behind them, Inuyasha’s teeth scraping at the hollow of her throat, his hands unclasping her bra, and she was gasping too often and too loudly to do much else. Impatiently she tugged at his sweatshirt, and he shed it quickly before sliding two arms around her, swinging her around before dropping her flat on the bed. He went back to her throat busily, planting sloppy kisses wherever he could, his hands sliding up and down her sides. 

“D-do you,” Kagome started to say, pausing when a loud knock interrupted them. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and ignored the knock, a light blush appearing on his cheeks, but otherwise he seemed unfazed by the interruption and Kagome’s stutter. The door knob was jostled, then immediately, abandoned. 

“-wanna go get dinner after?” 

Inuyasha went cold, feeling himself sobering up from those few beers already, mentally cursing her out for those five words. She wanted a date. She was no longer into this… this thing, they had, the thing he thought was perfect - 

“Uhh,” Inuyasha straightened up and looked down on the girl splayed before him, her pink frilly bra partially unclasped and poking out of her white blouse, her lips swollen from his nibbling. He felt the courage drain out of his body. “I don’t - ”

“That’s fine!” Kagome felt herself panic, unable to hear the rejection in full. Hastily she pulled Inuyasha back down to her, drawing a gasp from the embarrassed boy. She distracted him well enough to get that scared look to leave his eyes, but she felt her own heartstrings tighten, threatening to tear. She just had to go and ask him that. She just had to be the one to ruin things. 

Damn Sango for always being right. 

—- —- —- 

Try as they might, they could not forget what had already been voiced. She had broken the seal. Their rules blurred, they did things in the wrong order, and suddenly things were forced and their voices were too loud and they were both too damn scared to keep it up. 

“I’m sorry,” she told him quietly, buttoning her shirt with trembling fingers. “Maybe we - ”

“ - Should be friends?” he asked sourly. He was annoyed, but he couldn’t explain why. If anything he was at fault, and she was only trying to salvage something out of the wreckage he had caused. He dressed himself expertly, detached, refusing to look at her. 

“I didn’t mean to ruin - ”

“ - s’fine - ”

“I wanted - ”

Neither of them finished a sentence that night. He was out the door before her second sock was on. She gazed sadly into the dimly lit hall of the party, curious eyes on her. But she only watched his red sweatshirt disappear, not knowing what the right thing to do was. Had she ruined it? What did she want? 

Why was he so upset? 

—- —- —- 

They saw each other again, of course. They didn’t stop frequenting the same parties. They didn’t stop seeing the same people. But while she would plead with her eyes for him to acknowledge her, he would be looking at everyone but her, every girl but her. He would smile sometimes, and that was always the worst, because she had rarely ever made him smile. She realized then that really, she shouldn’t be hurt. They had nothing between them except anger turned sex. She should be glad to be free of such a toxic, immature connection. 

It was a lie she had to tell herself: that she had nothing to be sad about. She realized she might’ve grown fond of the silver-haired, golden-eyed boy. And why not? He was cute. He was a good kisser. He had seemed to like her. But she was wrong about that, and that was fine. She didn’t need it. She didn’t need his kisses. 

Then she saw him kissing Kikyou. 

Oh, Kikyou. She knew about Kikyou. The lingering ex. The one who only ever showed hostility and cruelty to Kagome. She was off, Kagome knew. And she felt the hot blades of jealousy rip through her when she stumbled into the kitchen and saw them; Kikyou had Inuyasha up against the counter, and her sharp gasp did nothing to break them apart. She escaped before either of them noticed her presence. 

Sango had held her hair that night while she vomited into the porcelain throne. 

Two weeks later, she was fine. She still went to the parties. She slowly began to feel better. She danced with Sango. She laughed at Miroku’s pursuit of her best friend. She met guys, danced with them too. She felt golden eyes bore into her back every time, but she would only close her eyes and finish the rest of her beer. When she finally looked up, he was gone. Every time. 

—- —- —- 

He hadn’t meant for them to stop. 

She had become insecure. He wasn’t ready. But he saw the unspoken question in her eyes, and he couldn’t bring himself to answer it. 

He still looked forward to the weekends, but only because they meant he would see her, even if things were different. He would still catch her lavender scent. He would still get to see her smile. And that was enough for him. 

Until it wasn’t. 

Until Kikyou forced herself on him that one time, and then he just knew Kagome was lost to him (he had seen her retreating back: a brief sparkle of tears). He saw her move on before his eyes. Her sad eyes stopped meeting his, stopped following him around the room. She humored the other boys, like he was always afraid she would, and he felt himself growing bitter. Every weekend she seemed further away from him, but he stayed put, waiting for her to walk back to him, to meet him halfway. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth about Kikyou, because then she would know how he felt. 

He drank harder. He waited. He wouldn’t chase her, but he wouldn’t move on, either. She had become important, damn it, whether she liked it or not. 

—- —- —- 

He had drank extra that weekend. He had acquired a handle of the cheapest vodka in the market, and it tasted more like rubbing alcohol than anything else. He didn’t even use a chaser. He kept the bottle handy when he went out, his heart seeking her, his blood hot in his veins. He was positively aching. 

He found her immediately, at the usual place. The party was more crowded than usual. Finals were coming up - people were emotional, strung out, desperate for a buzz - and he knew she was among that group. She was dancing harder than usual, going back and forth between Sango and the boys. This weekend it was the wolves. Inuyasha froze in place and watched, his vision not quite clear, as Kouga the ringleader of the wolves became daring. Put his filthy paws on her hips. Turned her to him. Inuyasha saw her surprise, then her confident smile, then her quick peck on Kouga’s cheek. 

Keep calm. Inuyasha took a swig from the handle, not even minding the horrible taste any more. It kept him grounded. Kagome appeared and disappeared in the crowd. Inuyasha stood still for a moment, listening to his own heartbeat from his place against the wall. Then he saw Kouga’s white teeth shine bright in the dark. Hand-in-hand. Kagome and the wolf, weaving through the crowd. Heading towards the stairs with matching secret smiles. 

Inuyasha saw red. 

They disappeared around the corner, but he was following, heart pounding. He could kill him. And how could she? What the fuck? Was nothing sacred? Was she really willing to replace him that easily - just like that, a new weekend hookup, was there really no difference to her? She had to know he was there. God, he was drunk. God, he wanted to strangle the wolf. 

The door almost closed behind them. Almost. Inuyasha stopped it with his foot. Kouga’s electric blue eyes sliced through him, but he didn’t notice. He was too busy punching the presumptuous boy bloody. 

“Don’t - you - dare - ”

“Get off me, dog!” 

“Fuck you, mangy wolf - ”

They were tumbling, and Kagome was upset, but Inuyasha didn’t care. She already hated him. He could live with it, but this guy? He wouldn't let her, he couldn’t possibly - 

Kouga’s foot connected with Inuyasha’s jaw, and he dropped, his drunken haze thickening, a wet, warm sensation on his chin keeping him above the surface - 

“KOUGA!” Inuyasha moaned at that. He briefly noted he had dropped his handle of vodka in plain sight, and probably looked as pathetic as he felt. 

“Kagome, baby, you saw how he attacked me, the filthy half breed - ”

Inuyasha almost smirked at the insult, knowing how Kagome would feel about that. Not the right time, not the right place, buddy. 

“Half breed? How dare you?! Get out, get out!!” Kagome’s shrieks chased Kouga out of the bedroom, and then the door was closed, and Inuyasha heard the lock click. 

Inuyasha felt himself losing consciousness. He had completed his mission, after all - 

“Inuyasha don’t you dare fall asleep on me,” Kagome chided, crouching before the bloodied hanyou. “I will call EMS if you do that.” 

“D’un…” 

“Hmmm?” 

“…’m fine, K’me,” Inuyasha whispered, spitting a little blood. 

Kagome pushed his hair back, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbing at his face. “Why did you follow us Inuyasha?” she asked, eyes on his injuries. 

His golden eyes cracked open, peering up at her. She didn’t hate him. She was treating his injuries. And he was drunk off his ass.

“…no different?” he slurred, leaning heavily on her. He felt her mop the blood up, could sense her concern, and he would be lying if he said it didn’t cheer him greatly. 

“What?” she crouched and peered into his half-closed eyes, and he realized she was probably sober, which meant she would remember… 

“…’s he no different?” 

Kagome’s eyes softened and Inuyasha opened his eyes as wide as he could. She wasn’t mad. She wasn’t running away. 

“He’s very different, Inuyasha. He’s not you.” 

Inuyasha didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded good. 

“Were you jealous?” Great. She knew. 

“…keh.” She laughed, warming his still aching heart. He couldn't stop seeing it - the way she let him hold her hand, the fact that she was going to just accepted another guy, while Inuyasha was pathetically holding his breath for the day she would want him again - 

“Let’s get you back to your room, okay?” Inuyasha allowed Kagome to pull him to his unsteady feet. They left the familiar room with their arms intertwined, half a handle of vodka abandoned next to a small blood stain on the carpet. 

——

She stayed with him. He woke up at 3am, still half-drunk but not feeling nearly as shitty as he expected to feel. She was sitting by the window wearing nothing but one of his shirts, eyes as wide as they had been at the party. Clearly she hadn’t slept, but had no intention of leaving him. 

“How are you feeling?” she murmured when she saw him rise. She stood up and handed him a half-empty jug of water. Wordlessly he drank. 

“Not as shitty as I normally am.” 

“That’s because I made you drink half the gallon before you passed out. It took a lot of convincing.” 

“Did it?” he raised an eyebrow, wondering how she managed to get him to do anything rational when he was that drunk. Hell, he couldn’t convince himself to be useful when he was in that state. 

“Mmm. It was kinda cute, you said ‘only if you don’t leave.’” Inuyasha’s face heated up at her words. Great, he was totally pathetic now. 

“Keh.” He drank deeply from the jug, trying to avoid her gaze. He had no idea why she hadn’t left. Any sane person would have, after what he tried to do to Kouga. 

“I’m sorry I upset you,” she continued, finally sitting at the end of his bed. He tried to avoid looking at her, but when he finally did, he felt himself fill up with a longing so intense he wanted to cry out. She was wearing her favorite pair of pink panties and one of his white tee shirts, clearly two sizes too big for her, for it fell to her thighs. He hated that she might’ve worn those panties for the likes of Kouga. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he admitted sourly. He took another swig from the jug. “Was my fault.” 

“I don’t like Kouga,” she told him. He scowled at her. 

“I didn’t ask.” 

“I thought you might want to know.”

“Have no idea why you would think that.” 

“Gee, I don’t know Inuyasha, maybe because you followed us and tried to beat him senseless?” 

“Next time I’ll get the job done.” 

“You’re not making any sense!” 

Inuyasha threw the bottle down, chest tightening painfully as the girl in front of him rose up, glaring at him in the exact way she had the day they first met.

“Y-you got over me pretty quickly, don’t you think?! All it took was the right look from wolf boy for you to pick up our routine! Apparently it doesn’t matter which guy it is, as long as you get your rocks off - ” Kagome took that opportunity to swear loudly and passionately, calling him every name she could think of as she moved closer and closer, rage plain as day on her beautiful face. 

“You kissed Kikyou days after rejecting me! I had every right to move on as quickly as I could! How could you do that to me? I asked to be friends and you couldn’t even grant me that! I figured you were just using me as a stand-in for her!”

“That’s not true! She forced herself on me and I was drunk, I don’t feel that way about her anymore, Kagome!” 

“Really?” Kagome had crept so close that he couldn’t look away. Her hands were on his knees, and she was bent forward, ass in full view - 

“Well fucking duh! I was still trying to figure out what to do about…” 

“…Do about what?” Fuck, she was close, and she wanted him, he realized. She had taken care of him. She had stayed. She had made sure he was okay, after he had very obviously proven himself to be a complete ass, but more than that, had proven he did care a great deal if she hooked up with other guys. He couldn’t hide the fact that he cared anymore than she could. 

“This…” He only had to slide forward a few inches before his lips hit hers in a familiar surrender. She was soft and tasted of his tooth paste, which only thrilled him more. Fuck, they were good together, he decided as he wound his arms around her and tilted her on her back on his bed. How had he come to know her as well as he did? He couldn’t bring himself to remember how or when he’d fallen for her, but he was sure he couldn’t let her go.

“No more - kissing - wolf boys,” he instructed as he worked his mouth down her neck. She giggled. 

“No more kissing exes,” she shot back at him, her hands on his lower back, tugging at his shirt. 

“Get breakfast with me in the morning,” he said as he pulled his shirt from her body, delighted to see that she had taken her bra off already. 

“Deal.”


End file.
